Bear in mind, of course, similar announcements in the last 15 months from InBev and Carlsberg.

That means that three of the country's biggest brewers have lost their head people in the space of little more than a year.

While the exact circumstances of each undoubtedly vary, all three departures have been set against a backdrop of a beer sector in turmoil.

British Beer & Pub Association figures show that beer sales by volume in the UK fell by more than 5% in 2008. Sales fell 8% in the first three months of this year, with declines in both the off- and on-trade making it the industry's worst quarterly performance since 1997.